Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-05
SHOOTING ARRAY.
4 p,.A.s,v rstai p,fseulty About : Pipe
Runaway Aeeissat--An oiaciu-
zen Ynjarsd. &C., 20.

ss>cv~r<,ondcnce Of the kicnmono
prrxnanuRc, April 4, 1887.
I. .o,sons shooting affair occurred on
,,.,;ss. Greet about half-past looclock
~. a:. m,a,n;nr. the parties 10 which were !
snis mo cn,ored men--Frank Lang
swv s~d1 ri. Ruffin. Langston Is ne
M IN 81 John Mercer L@nssson, TO- aarlv
Tinted States Minister to hay L and at
,a,rscut president OF the V ,rsssrsa Nor.
,nsl and Collegiate Inst .nsa near this
cav. Ruffin is somewf Al at . politician,
and was formerly Employed as clerk
In young LAMP s.soas store, on Hall
fax street, Nm Which position, 1t IS
said, he was some time ago discharged for
the reasc.n that his employer had lost
confidence in him. The shooting oc-
Carrt on che street, and it is difiicnlt
TO get q. the exact facts in the case, but
Young Imngston makes a statement sub
stautially 10 this effect, claiming that he
shot Rufiin in self-defence: "When L
first came TO Petersburg TO live, about
eleven months ago, 1 opened book
and stationery store and employed
Rufyin as my clerk. Ruffiu lived
with me about six months, when
he was discharged, number OF
articles having been missed from nay
store. some OF which were traced to his
possession, Ruflin, however, still visit
ed the store. This morning missed a
valuable meerschaum pipe, and finding
that Ruffin had been about the store
several times during the morning, and
knowing that he knew where the pipe
was kept, suspected that he had taken
it. Subsequently l saw Ruifin standing
ON the street short distance from my
store, and went to him and asked him
il he had my pipe. He replied. with
an abusive epithet, that he did not,
and advanced threateningly on me. L
drew nv pistol and shot him at once,
and then went to the station-house and
surrendered myself TO the police"
The ball from Lnngston's pistol
said 10 be a 32-calibre-entered Ruf-
fms abdomen. II has not yet been
found. the condition of the wounded
man being such as, in the opinion OF
the physicians, to render it unwise to
probe Tor ii at present. The wound Is
dangerous and may prove fatal. His
statement Of the affair is that Langston,
after having charged him with the theft,
cursed him, which was more than he
could stand. Langston, accompanied
by friends and quite crowd OF
colored people, went promptly to
the police station, as he said, and
surrendered himself. Hewas put under
arrest TO await an examination of Rut-
fms wounds and the report Of the ply
sicians thereon. Lsngston and Ruffin
were only about three feet apart when
the pistol was fred. The affair has
caused quite sensation among the
colored people, both of the parties
being widely known. Young Langston
formerly lived in Washington, where
several years ago, as will be remem'
bered by the readers of the papers, he
was tried on the charge of killinga man
in that city, but was acquitted.
Mr.. G. Baker Eanes, an elderly and
prominent citizen, for many years q
member of the Common Council, was
thrown from his buggy near the corner
of Sycamore and Washington streets
this morning, and picked up in an in
sensible condition. 1t was at first
thought that he was very seriously in
jured. He was taken into Messrs. T..
r. Beckwith & Co.'S drugstore, where
his wounds were carefully examined and
attended to, and he revived sufficiently
to be sent to his residence. He was
found to be badly injured about the
head, arms, and back, but not to an ex-
tent to excite apprehensions.
The action OF the Council in making
q contract for lighting the city by cleo
tricity is approved by the people at
large. 1t win, however, be year or
more before the electric lights supplant
the gas in the business portion of the
city. The outer portions of the town,
now lighted by kerosene lamps, will be
the first to enjoy the improvement.
The site of the electric plant will be
that of the old city mills.
ROBIN ADNR.